Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep

"Ah, so the archaeologist who said he would never see my face again has come to seek me out. What's the reason?"

Hwangdonggyeong's words were laced with hint of sarcasm. Back then... well, he had a point.

After all the hardship I went through to obtain the relic, I'd be furious if someone just took it away in exchange for money and a letter.

But that was then, this is now.

"I'm looking for something, and I'm at a limit on my own, so I need help."

"Hmm... I don't know what you're looking for, but the fact that you've come to me means it's no ordinary item. Alright. Do you need money?"

"It's not just about needing money. I've heard that dwarves have a record repository that only a select few can access."

At my words, Hwangdonggyeong's face showed a slight surprise.

"A record repository? Why are you looking for that?"

"The information I'm seeking now... is knowledge that has not been left to humans. I've heard that the dwarves' obsession with records surpasses human imagination, so I thought there might be something that humans have forgotten in the dwarves' record repository."

"Hmm..."

Hwangdonggyeong stroked his golden beard, lost in thought.

Will he really let me into the record repository?

I don't know. I think the chances are fifty-fifty... but Hwangdonggyeong might impose other conditions as well.

"There is no precedent for a human entering the record repository... but, since you returned the Ground Crusher, I'll try to help you."

"Really?"

"But there is a condition."

"A condition?"

Hwangdonggyeong's golden eyes looked straight at me.

I could see the greed lurking in the corner of those eyes, but since I had no choice, I had to follow his words.

"Make me your patron."

"Patron?"

"Yes. I don't know what you're looking for, but seeing you come to me, the one you said you'd never see again, to search for clues, it must be no ordinary thing."

I couldn't say anything.

Would Hwangdonggyeong believe me if I told him I was looking for clues about the King of the Gods?

No, is it even okay to carelessly mention the existence of that being in the first place?

"Half the rights to what you find. Then I'll do my best to support you as your patron."

"Half..."

"Whether it's a tangible object or intangible knowledge. Half the rights. Of course, I'll help you as much as I can with anything you need, and I'll provide financial support if necessary. You're a capable tomb raider... no, archaeologist, so it's worth that much. About the position of a co-discoverer, if you will. What do you think?"

Hwangdonggyeong's lips, hidden under his golden beard, were curved in a greedy smile.

Should I accept this greedy dwarf's proposal?

No, no. I don't even have a choice in the first place. What am I hesitating about?

If I don't take his hand, I won't get anything, and if I do, I'll get the patronage of one of the wealthiest dwarves.

I had no right to hesitate.

"Alright, I promise. I will give you half the rights to what I find."

"Good. You've thought it through well."

Hwangdonggyeong stretched out his short arm and offered me his hand. His hand, which had not held a hammer-like object for a long time, had little callus, unlike a typical dwarf's hand.

I did not refuse that hand of desire.

"So, can you tell me what you're looking for?"

As expected, it came to this.

I glanced back at the door behind me.

Is it okay to speak freely in this room? Won't my voice leak out?

"Hmm. Are you worried about your voice leaking out?"

Hwangdonggyeong, sensing my concern, pressed something on the desk.

A faint magical barrier then descended along the walls.

"This is...?"

"A trick to maintain secrecy. Within this barrier, your voice won't leak out. It cost a pretty penny, but it does its job well."

Indeed, a barrier using mage stones. How dwarven.

In this now secret space, I told Hwangdonggyeong what I was looking for.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 year. Time spent with Sagarmatha again.

Well, it wasn't too bad... Sometimes other kids would come and play with us.

Somehow, Sagarmatha seemed displeased that other kids were coming to visit.

"Aren't they your siblings? Why are you so displeased?"

"But now Mom has to be mine exclusively..."

"Oh, I'm not an object to be monopolized."

I lightly tapped Sagarmatha's head.

"Well, thanks to that, I was able to do this and that leisurely."

I had automated some of my duties as the Goddess of Life, and had also taken care of the Creator Dragon God's business related to the Lizardmen. Cloud Whale also seemed to have matured, and started doing his job properly.

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Perhaps because the problems caused by the various gods were more than the conflicts between the tribes, the inter-tribal conflicts have been relatively quiet lately. The children also come to visit me sometimes and spend time with me.

Hmm. I should have automated things earlier. Convenience is the best, after all.

Thanks to that, unless Baal comes to ask for help, I've been very relaxed.

"Gaia!!"

Just like now.

"Baal. Didn't I tell you to contact me in advance before coming?"

Thanks to that, the Sagarmatha sitting next to me has become angry again. Her face is flushed, looking like a volcano about to erupt.

"Nevermind that, help me! I can't take it anymore!!"

"Hmm? Can't take it anymore?"

"Those foolish gods! Now they've gone beyond conflicts between the gods and are starting territorial battles between factions!!"

Territorial battles...? What's that?

"What on earth did they do to start a territorial battle?"

"I didn't do anything! They're just fighting over territories on their own!"

What on earth is going on?

"Tell me the details calmly."

I gently pulled Sagarmatha over and used my lap as a pillow, then covered her eyes with my hand to prevent her from bursting out in anger, and asked Baal.

"Well, you see..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After listening to Baal's explanation, I was able to grasp the general situation.

There is a kind of "land grab" war going on among the gods right now, where they are trying to steal each other's faith from the humans.

Since gods derive their power from the faith of humans, the more believers they have, the stronger they become.

Therefore, there is constant conflict among the gods who desire more human faith, and Baal, the king of the gods, has been mediating these conflicts.

But now, the gods have started forming alliances with gods from the same cultural sphere and friendly relations, and have begun to plunder the faith of other gods.

It's a kind of "religious war", so to speak.

Even though Baal suppresses and punishes individual gods, the allied gods continue to be active, and if he tries to restrain a large number of gods at once, the vacuum left behind causes other gods to cause problems.

While explaining, Baal was getting more and more agitated, and I had to stop him from frying everything with lightning bolts.

"I see. It's like a game of territorial control strategy simulation, like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Territorial control strategy simulation?"

"There's a game like that."

It seems that Baal alone cannot handle the situation of this religious war where they steal and are stolen from in terms of faith.

Hmm. It's really like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Placing Baal in the position of the emperor-like king of the gods, it makes sense.

"Anyway, with the gods fighting each other, a lot of humans are being sacrificed too. No matter how much I try to stop them, it never ends, and I don't know what to do!"

These god-like beings are really problematic. If only they could fight through faith propagation instead of direct conflict.

Prohibiting physical clashes even among the believers. If I prepare some kind of safety mechanism like that, the problem might be alleviated.

"Maybe I should just restrict the gods from manifesting on the mortal realm..."

"Wouldn't that be problematic? That way, even the gods who don't fight might become an issue."

I nodded at Baal's words. Then what should I do...?

"Let's establish and announce the rules."

"Rules?"

"Yes. If there are rules to be followed, we can punish those who violate them. If some of the allied gods are causing problems, we can collectively hold them accountable, so those gods won't be able to act recklessly."

"Will that be enough?"

"If that's not enough... Can't you just zap the gods who have undermined the authority of the King of the Gods with lightning?"

Honestly, the gods have been causing these problems more than once.

It's getting tiresome, so we need to put them in their place properly.

Establishing the rules is to create a justification for that suppression.

"You can ask Shamash for help with the rules, as she's an expert on law and regulations. I can help you announce the rules after they're established."

"Okay! Thank you, Gaia! I'll go now!"

Baal left the room with a brighter expression than when he came in.

Well, even if there are rules, the gods probably won't behave obediently.

As long as they don't find loopholes in the rules to cause problems, that would be fortunate... But I'll trust the experienced Shamash to carefully establish the rules.

If it still doesn't work after some time, I can always erect a barrier to prevent the gods from manifesting in the human world.

Even if gods emerge who lose their faith due to being cut off from humans, it's their own fault for causing the trouble.

"Mom."

"Hmm? What is it, Sagarmatha?"

Sagarmatha, who was resting her head on my lap with her eyes closed, spoke quietly.

"I really dislike that guy."

I gently stroked Sagarmatha's head and said softly,

"Don't be too harsh. It's thanks to him working as the King of the Gods that I've gained some leisure."

If I were in Baal's position...

In this world, the existence of gods would have been only me and my children.

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